Based on the resource-based view, this paper uses data from China’s A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2012 to 2023 to empirically examine the differential impact of intelligent manufacturing on corporate green ambidextrous innovation, and explores the moderating effects of green investors and environmental regulations on this impact. The results show that: (1) Intelligent manufacturing can significantly enhance corporate green ambidextrous innovation. Compared with its impact on green exploratory innovation, intelligent manufacturing has a greater impact on green exploitative innovation. (2) Green investors positively moderate the relationship between intelligent manufacturing and green ambidextrous innovation, and the moderating effect on the relationship between intelligent manufacturing and green exploitative innovation is stronger. Environmental regulations negatively moderate the relationship between intelligent manufacturing and green ambidextrous innovation, but the difference in the moderating effect is not significant. (3) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that under the conditions of non-high-tech industries, large-scale enterprises, and the implementation of special pilot policies for intelligent manufacturing, the promoting effect of intelligent manufacturing is more significant. The findings not only expand the research on the relationship between intelligent manufacturing and green innovation, but also provide important management implications for enterprise managers to promote green ambidextrous innovation through the adoption of intelligent manufacturing.